In the article Congressman Bishop mentions an issue, among a host of others, that I myself have considered at length to be the biggest obstacle to restoring federalism; the intoxication of power. Even conservatives who claim fealty to the Constitution and a desire to downsize government want to cling to their power rather than actually return much of it to the states.

He says:

“Our battle cry will be the commitment to ‘lose power’. We will return home for re-election proud to have made a step in re-establishing the Constitutional “vertical” separation of powers concept. We will return proud of voluntarily relinquishing federal control. We will return proudly having lost power in Congress. We will also have struck a blow in defense of individual liberty.”

Much to my chagrin, this battle cry did not rouse the troops. republicans in Washington, so long out of power, were not in the mood to lose the power that had so recently gained.